Wake Forest Athletics
Soccer Gameday: Wake Forest at Furman
8/12/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeMSoccer)
| Gameday Central | Wake Forest vs. Furman | |
| at Furman | Sunday, Aug. 14, 7:00 p.m. |
| Location | Greenville, S.C. (Stone Soccer Stadium) - Facility Information | Weather |
| Live Stats | Statbroadcast |
@WakeMSoccer  | |
Wake Forest Set to Battle Furman in Exhibition
• In the first competitive action of the 2016 fall season, Wake Forest will travel to Furman for a 7 p.m. matchup on Sunday, Aug. 14, at Stone Soccer Stadium.
• The matchup marks the first of two exhibitions for the Demon Deacons this season. It is also the second year in a row Wake Forest opens the year with an exhibition at Furman.
Series History
• With a rich tradition against one another to date, Wake Forest and Furman have battled during the regular season or in postseason play 19 times with the Deacs holding a 9-6-4 overall record. Last time the two sides met outside of preseason contests came on Nov. 28, 2007, when the Deacs topped the Paladins 1-0 at home.
• Wake Forest has battled Furman in a preseason exhibition all but once since 2004. In those matchups, Wake Forest is 9-0-2. The preseason series took a one-year break prior to the 2014 season, but was restarted last year when the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw.
• Last August, Michael Gamble scored in the 16th minute to give Wake Forest a 1-0 lead, but Furman notched the equalizer in the 66th minute to earn the draw in Bobby Muuss's first game at the helm of the program.
Scouting Furman
• Last season, Furman posted an 8-5-6 mark but reached the NCAA Tournament by topping ETSU in the Southern Conference Tournament final, 1-0. In the first round of the tournament, the Paladins battled No. 21 South Carolina to a 1-1 draw, but the Gamecocks advanced to the second round via penalty kicks.
• A season ago, Furman was led by Lewis Hawke's 12 points, as he scored a team-high five goals to go with two assists. Eli Pinner was second on the team with three goals and two assists. In all, Furman scored 22 goals last season but only allowed 18, as goalkeeper Sven Lissek posted an 8-3-6 record with seven shutouts along the way.
• Both of Furman's leading scorers in Hawke and Pinner return as seniors in 2016, but the Paladins will be forced to replace Lissek between the pipes.
Wake Forest Storylines
• In the NSCAA and College Soccer News preseason polls, Wake Forest has been picked No. 5 in the nation. Stanford, who topped Wake Forest in Winston-Salem in the Elite Eight last December on the way to winning the national championship, was picked No. 1 in both polls. The ACC preseason poll is set to be released in the coming days as the Deacs try to repeat as the conference's regular season champion.
• The Demon Deacons are coming off a perfect spring campaign in which they went 8-0 across contests in Spain and in the United States.
• Through those eight games, Wake Forest did not allow a goal while notching 17 of its own.
• After scoring six goals over the course of the first four spring contests in the U.S., the Deacs put up a four-goal outburst at Spring Soccer Fest against VCU in front of 1,514 fans at Spry Stadium.
• The Demon Deacons this season return eight starters, including senior captains Ian Harkes, Jacori Hayes and Alec Ferrell. The Deacs also welcome 11 newcomers to the fold, including the likes of Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year Michael DeShields and Connecticut Gatorade Player of the Year Ema Twumasi.
Up Next
• Next up, Wake Forest will come home for a second and final exhibition against UNCW. The contest will be held at Spry Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 20, at 7 p.m. Admission to the contest is free of charge.
• The matchup marks the first of seven-straight games played at Spry Stadium. Wake Forest will follow the UNCW match with six regular season contests in a row at Spry to open the season, starting on Friday, Aug. 26, at 7 p.m. against Saint Louis.
• Tickets are on sale now through the Wake Forest Ticket Office online or by calling (336) 758-DEAC (3322). Tickets can also be purchased the day of the game at Spry Stadium.
